Hydromassage installation



July 1, 1969 R. A. JACUzzl 3,452,370

HYDROMASSAGE INSTALLATION Filed March 26. 1968 FIG. 2

FIG. 3

INVENTOR. ROY A. `meu-212| ATTORN EY United States Patent 3,452,370 HYDROMASSAGE INSTALLATION Roy A. Jacuzzi, Little Rock, Ark., assignor to Jacuzzi Research, Inc., a corporation of California Filed Mar. 26,1968, Ser. No. 716,169 Int. Cl. A47k 3/00; A61h 33/02, 9/00 U.S. Cl. 4-180 10 Claims ABSTRACT 0F THE DISCLOSURE Hydromassage equipment for permanent tub installation, in which pump-jet assembly installed in the normal drain opening of the tub, is remotely driven through a exible drive shaft from an electric motor located out of sight and controlled by means of an exposed timing device.

My inventionrelates to hydromassage equipment and more particularly to a hydromassage assembly adapted for permanent installation in a bath tub or similar tank.

Prior practice in this connection is exemplified by Patents 3,159,849, 3,287,741, and 3,345,982. In the type of installation represented `by these patents, a motor driven pump is installed out of sight behind a wall in the vicinity of the bath tub, and piping from the pump to a nozzle assembly installed in the drain opening of the tub, supplies the nozzle with its requirement of water under pressure. In such installation, the piping is tied in with the overow and drain piping normally associated with bath tub plumbing. To satisfy sanitary conditions required by code provisions of the laws of various jurisdictions, complex valving is required to preclude any possible mixing of drain water with water being utilized for bathing purposes. The overall result of all this, is not only an expensive installation, but one involving considerable bulk requiring substantial space in which to make such an installation.

Among the objects of my invention are;

(l) To provide novel and improved hydromassage equipment for bath tub installation;

y(2) To provide novel and improved hydromassage equipment for bath tub installation, which requires but a minimum of space, and may be readily installed with a minimum of labor and piping;

(3) To provide a novel and improved bath tub installation of hydromassage equipment wherein no circulation of the bath water outside of the tub is involved;

(4) To provide a novel and improved bath tub hydromassage installation wherein all valving previously required to maintain sanitary separation of bath water from drain water, are completely eliminated; and

(5) To provide a novel and improved `bath tub hydromassage installation of extreme simplicity, and one which permits of powering the jet from a location far removed from the tub and without unduly increasing cost.

Additional objects of my invention will be brought out in the following description of a preferred embodiment of the same, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein FIGURE 1 is a view, partly in phantom, depicting an installation of the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is a view in section taken in the plane 2 2 of FIGURE 1 and depicting a slightly modified form of installation.

FIGURE 3 is a view in section illustrating the manner in which the primary components of the hydromassage equipment are installed in a tub.

Referring to the drawings for details of my invention in its preferred form, the hydromassage equipment 1 is depicted as installed in a conventional type bath tub 3 set in a corner formed Kby walls 5 and 7, and at its exposed end and side, is formed with an apron wall 9 extending to the floor.

In the conventional tub structure of this type, the tub Hoor 13 lies a few inches above the bathroom floor 15, and toward one end, is provided with a drained opening 17. In the proximate end wall 19 of the tub, is an overflow opening 21 connected Iby an overflow pipe 23 leading to a drain line 25. A branch ilow line (not shown) from the drain opening 17 to the overow pipe 23 is conventionally employed in emptying the tub when desired.

Normally, a drain plug is installed in the drain opening and is adapted to be manipulated between its open and closed positions lby a lever 29 or equivalent knob mounted in the overow opening 21 and connecting with the drain plug through a suitable linkage train.

In accordance with the present invention, the branch ow connection from the drain opening to the overflow pipe is removed, and in place thereof, I provide a shallow housing 33 having an upper wall 35 with a threaded opening 37 therein adapted to align with the drain opening 17, and a lower wall 39 provided with an opening 41 in alignment with the upper wall opening 37, and a second opening 43 adapted to function as an auxiliary drain opening. A branch flow connection 45 threadedly secured to the shallow housing at this auxiliary drain opening connects to the overflow pipe 23 and completes a tlow path from the tub drain opening 17 to the overow pipe for drain purposes.

The housing 33 is retained in its desired installed position with its upper wall opening in alignment with the tub drain opening, by a pump-jet assembly 49 installed in the tub drain opening and threadedly connecting with the shallow housing.

The pump-jet assembly involves a two part housing including a lower section 53 and upper section 54, the lower section having a downward extending hollow neck 55 which is provided with drain openings 57 adjacent the floor of the lower housing section, and is threaded at its free end for connection with the shallow housing below the tub.

Horizontally disposed within the lower housing section is a pump impeller 59 surrounded by a volute 61 which discharges into the jet portion 63 of the assembly.

In a wall of the upper housing section, is an access opening to the suction end of the impeller, spanned by a screen 69 while at the opposite side of the housing, there is formed a socket chamber 71 separated from the irnpeller intake by a partition 73, and having flow communication with the discharge from the pump volute.

The socket chamber is adapted to receive the ball end of an adjustable jet nozzle assembly 75, the details of which are disclosed in an application of Floyd M. Nash for Discharge Fitting Assembly, Ser. No. 494,344, filed Oct. 11, 1965, and since matured into Patent 3,391,870, dated July 9, 1968.

In the functioning of a jet unit for hydromassage purposes, air is introduced into the stream of water discharged through the jet nozzle. For this purpose a conventional type snorkel tube 77 such as disclosed in the forementioned Nash application, may be mounted on the upper end of the pump-jet assembly housing, in full communication with a passageway in the jet assembly portion leading to the jet nozzle assembly,

The pump is driven by an electric motor 79 through a ilexible drive shaft assembly 81 involving a exible drive shaft 83 and a flexible tube housing 85 through which it extends. This exible drive shaft assembly passes through the aligned openings 41, 37 and an opening 87 in the oor of the lower housing section, being sealed in the lower wall opening 41 and in the oor opening of the lower housing section by O-rings while the flexible drive shaft itself extends into this lower housing section to drive connect with the pump impeller, which is splined thereto.

A closure plug 89 for the auxiliary drain opening is supported for movement between an open and closed position by a linkage train 91 leading up to the control handle 29 mounted at the overiiow opening.

Being that the motor is isolated from the pump-jet assembly by a exible drive shaft assembly, such motor may be located at any convenient point of installation, regardless of whether such convenient location be at some distance from the pump. I have found however that a motor for this purpose may be suciently small to be installed out of sight behind and on the apron wall 9 of the tub, as illustrated in the FIGURE 2, where it may be supported by any appropriate bracket having cushioning means to absorb vibration.

Starting and stopping of the motor may be provided for by locating a suitable control switch or timing means 93 at a location on a proximate wall 97 preferably just out of reach of one using the tub, to discourage handling while in water.

The neck portion 55 of the housing, I prefer not to make integral with the lower section of housing, but prefer to make it a separate element to constitute the central portion of the iloor of the housing section and include the shaft assembly opening 87. It is formed with a shoulder 99 to engage the oor of the tub through an intermediate sealing gasket, when installed in the drain opening 17, and thus conveniently assure exposure of the drain holes 57 to the water in the tub.

Also, by making the neck as a separate element, the pump-jet housing may be rotatably adjusted thereon to enable proper directional installation of the jet assembly. With this in mind, the lower housing section and neck are provided with complementary shoulder forming edge grooves, permitting rotational adjustment of the housing section with respect to the neck. Radially installed set screws 101 in the plane of the floor of the housing section may be provided to lock the housing on the neck in any adjusted position. Such locking can be assured by providing a peripheral groove 103 in the upper edge of the neck to receive the engaging ends of the set screws.

From the foregoing description of my invention in its preferred form, it will be apparent that the same fuliills all the objects of my invention, and while I have illustrated and described the same in considerable detail, it will further be apparent that the same is subject to alteration and modication without departing from the underlying principles involved, and I accordingly do not desire to be limited in my protection to the specic details illustrated and described, except as may be necessitated by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A hydromassage assembly for installation in a bath tub having a drain opening in the oor thereof and an overflow opening in the proximate end wall, said hydromassage assembly comprising a flow connection adapted to extend from said drain opening for connection to drain, a pump-jet assembly adapted for coupling through said drain opening to said flow connection, said pump-jet assembly having an opening exposing said ow connection to water in a tub when installed in such tub, a exible drive shaft in drive connection to the pump in said pump-jet assembly through said How connection, and of a length adapting it to extend beyond the confines of said tub, a motor, and means drive coupling said motor to said shaft.

2. A hydromassage assembly in accordance with claim 1 characterized by said flow connection including a shallow housing and a pipe coupling connected thereto, said shallow housing having an upper wall with an opening adapted to register with the drain opening in such tub, and a lower wall with a pair of openings, one in substantial alignment with the upper wall opening for passage of said flexible drive shaft to said pump, and said other opening constituting an auxiliary drain opening at the connection of said pipe coupling to said shallow housing.

3. A hydromassage assembly in accordance with claim 2, characterized by said pump-jet assembly including a pump-jet housing with a hollow depending neck adapted to fit through said tub drain opening and having flow openings through a wall thereof adjacent said pumpjet housing, and means for ow coupling said neck to said shallow housing.

4. A hydromassage in accordance with claim 2 characterized by an auxiliary drain closure plug in said auxiliary drain openin-g, and means extending through said pipe coupling and connecting with said plug, for moving said plug between an open and closed position with respect to said auxiliary drain opening.

S. A hydromassage installation comprising a bath tub having a drain opening in the oor thereof and an overow opening in an end wall, an overow pipe from said overflow opening to a drain line, a ow connection4 from said drain opening to said overflow pipe, a pumpjet assembly installed in said drain opening and having an opening exposing said ilow connection to any water in said tub, a flexible drive shaft extending at one end through said flow connection and in drive connection with the pump in said pump-jet assembly, said exible drive shaft being connected at its other end through a coupling to a drive motor.

6. A hydromassage installation in accordance with claim 5, characterized by said flow connection including a shallow housing and a pipe coupling connected thereto, said shallow housing having an upper wall with an opening in registry with said tub drain opening, and a lower wall with a pair of openings, one in substantial alignment with said upper wall opening for passage of said exible drive shaft to said pump, and said other opening at the connection of said pipe coupling to said shallow housing.

7. A hydromassage installation in accordance with claim 6, characterized by said pump-jet assembly including a pump-jet housing with a hollow depending neck passing through said tub drain opening and coupling with said shallow housing, said neck having an opening therein exposing said shallow housing to water in said tub.

8. A hydromassage installation in accordance with claim 6, characterized by a closure plug in said auxiliary drain opening, and means for moving said plug between an open and closed position with respect to said auxiliary drain opening.

9. A hydromassage installation in accordance with claim 8, characterized by said means for moving said plug including a control handle mounted at said overflow opening, and linkage train extending from said control handle through said overow pipe and pipe coupling, to said auxiliary drain plug for manipulating said plug.

10. A hydromassage installation in accordance with claim 5, characterized by said tub having an apron wall spaced from the tub proper, and said motor being mounted on the inner side of said apron wall.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,304,936 2/196-7 Kosta 4-l80 X 3,319,266 5/ 1967 Schneider et al. 4-180 3,391,870 7/1968 Nash 4-180 LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner.

H. I. GROSS, Assistant Examiner.

U.S. Cl. X.R. 12S-66 

